Improvement in seeding-machines



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M. CLARK.

Grain-Drill.

\ No. 49,720. Patented Sept. 5, 1865.

,2 Q A P a e [HMHHW M kw Witnesses= %M M 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. M. CLARK.

Grain-Drill.

N0 49, 720. Patented Sept. 5, 1865.

W|tnesses= I t r:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT lN SEEDING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 49,720, dated September5, 1865.

'io all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MORELL CLARK, of Gast-alia, in the county ofWinneshiek and State of Iowa, have invented a new and Improved Seeding-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof,which will enable those skilled in the artto make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanyingdrawings,forrning part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, SheetNo. 1, is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line w 00,Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 3, Sheet No. 2, aside sectional view of the same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 2; Fig. 4,a side sectional view of the same, taken in the line 2 z, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates toa new and improved machine for sowing seed indrills or broadcast; and it consists in a novel arrangement andapplication of teeth for covering the seed, whereby the teeth areprevented from becoming choked or clogged with weeds, trash, &c.; andthe invention further consists in a novel seeddistributing device,whereby the seed is prevented from choking or clogging in the seedbox,and consequently evenly distributed, and the amount of seed to be sewnon a given area regulated as desired.

Arepresents a seed-box, which is secured on an aXle,B, and extendsnearly its whole length.

G G are the wheels on the axle, and D the drafapole, which extends somedistance behind the seed-box.

E represents a shaft, which is secured to the axle B at its under sideand has the front ends ofa series of rectan gular frames, F, fittedloosely 011 it. Three of these frames are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andthey are connected by a bar, G, which is attached to a lever, H, on therear of the draft-pole D by a link, I. (Shown clearly in Fig. 4:.) Eachframe F has a shaft, J, at its rear end, and these shafts are providedwith arms K, which extend at equal distances from their opposite sides,said arms having covering-teeth L at their outer ends. Besides the armsK, each shaft J has a bar, M, keyed upon it. These bars project at equaldistances from the shafts at opposite sides, and the front ends of thebars, or the ends in front of the shafts J, bear against catchescomposed of rods N,

which are attached to the frames F, and have their rear ends passingthrough one side of the latter for the bars M to bear against. (See Fig.4.)

When the machine is at the work the teetharms K have an inclination ofabout forty-five degrees, the teeth L, at the lower ends of the arms,penetrating the earth and covering the seed, which is distributed ordropped in front of them by the device hereinafter described.

In case the teeth of any of the frames F become choked or clogged withweeds, trash, &e., the driver aetuates the catches N so as to free thebars M, and the shaftsJ will make a halfrevolution, the teeth L, whichwere formerly uppermost, being brought down so as to penetrate theearth, and the ends of the bars M, which were formerly at the rear ofthe shafts J, being brought to bear against the catches N. By this meansthe seed-covering teeth L may be raised up out of the ground at any timeby shoving forward the lever H.

The seed-box A has its bottom a perforated with holes I), and to theunder side of the bottom a, inline with the holes b, there are attachedbiconical tubes 0, (shown clearly in Fig. 1,) the lower parts of saidtubes having cones c fitted in them to form a conical discharge-passage,d, for the seed.

Within the seed-box A, just above its bottom a, there are placed twoplates, P P, one above the other. These plates P P are connected at oneend by a lever, Q, and links (7/ (1, so as to admit of a simultaneousmovement or adj ustmentof said plates in opposite directions and causethe holes 6, which are made in them, to be brought more or less in line,or fully in line, with each other, as may be desired. The holes 6 in theplates P are directly over the holes b in the bottom a of the seedbex.

The tubes 0 have rods R fitted in them, on the upper ends of which,above the plates P, there are conical heads or caps S. The lower ends ofthe rods B are attached to arms f, which project from a shaft, T, thebearings of which are in pendants g at the ends of the seed box. One endof this shaft T has a pawl, h, upon it, with which a cam, U, on the hubof one of the wheels engages, and by means of this pawl and cam theshaft T is rocked and the rods R and heads or caps S vibrated so as toeffectually prevent the seed from choking or clogging up in the'holes ein the plates P or choking up the tubes 0. The tubes O cause an evendistribution of the seed, the conical passages d scattering it evenlyaround.

Having thus described myinvention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. The frames F, attached to or fitted upon the shaftE, and provided with the shafts J, having teeth-arms K attached, and thebars M, in connection with the catches N, all arranged to operatesubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The adjustable perforated plates P P,in

